Device and method for preventing debris from falling through a gap

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a device for preventing food debris from falling onto a floor through a gap between a kitchen counter and a kitchen appliance. The device includes an elongated body configured for insertion into the gap and for extending across the gap. The elongated body is made from a resilient material and has a generally W-shaped cross-section that is resiliently compressible along a lateral direction. The generally W-shaped cross-section includes a central ridge portion and two valley portions. The valley portions are located on opposing sides of the central ridge portion. The resilient material biases the generally W-shaped cross-section laterally outwardly to an uncompressed width.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure herein relates to devices for preventing food or other debris from falling through gaps between two objects, such as a kitchen counter and a kitchen appliance, or two appliances.

BACKGROUND

When cooking food, or otherwise working in a kitchen, it is common for food and other debris to fall onto the floor. One problematic area is between kitchen counters and kitchen appliances such as stoves. This is because there is often a gap between the counter top and the stove. Over time, food and other debris tends to accumulate on the floor underneath this gap. If left unchecked, accumulated food can rot or otherwise lead to an unsanitary or unsightly environment. It is possible to clean this area; however, it typically requires the stove to be pulled out from the counter, disconnected from electrical or gas lines, and then replaced once the area has been cleaned. This process can be quite cumbersome and difficult, especially if the stove is heavy. For this reason, is desirable to prevent food and other debris from falling into these gaps in the first place.

There exist some devices for preventing food from falling into gaps between kitchen counters and kitchen appliances. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,196,931 (Burgess) discloses a gap molding to reduce accumulation of undesirable material into a gap. The gap molding comprises a top portion configured to at least partially bridge the gap, and a retention portion configured to frictionally engage with at least one side of the gap. According to Burgess, the gap molding may be placed between appliances, countertops, and/or the like in order to provide improved aesthetics and/or reduce accumulation of food waste and other debris.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,736,711 (Dobelle) discloses a device for preventing loss of articles otherwise susceptible to falling behind furniture, appliances, fixtures, or other large objects placed next to a wall. In particular, Dobelle discloses a compressible and flexible device that consists of a resilient, compressible body and a tangentially integrated or attached flexible fin. According to Dobelle, the resilient compressible body may be of any tubular shape. Furthermore, the flexible fin, when in a relaxed or unsprung state, should be flat and attached tangentially to the compressible body. In use, the device is fitted from above into a crevice between the furniture and wall. The device is held in place by friction created by pressure caused by deformation of the device between the furniture and wall. The flexible fin, when flexed or compressed, creates a U-shaped channel which catches valuables left on top of the furniture. Objects which are caught in the device can be removed easily by the user.

One difficulty with the devices mentioned above is that they rely on having two separate pieces to provide the desired functionality. In particular, each device includes a first piece used to elastically expand and fill a gap (e.g. the retention portion of Burgess), and a second piece used to prevent objects from falling into a gap (e.g. the top portion of Burgess). This two-piece construction can undesirably increase overall complexity and cost.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, there is provided a device for preventing food debris from falling onto a floor through a gap between a kitchen counter and a kitchen appliance. The device includes an elongated body configured for insertion into the gap and for extending across the gap. The elongated body is made from a resilient material and has a generally W-shaped cross-section that is resiliently compressible along a lateral direction. The generally W-shaped cross-section includes a central ridge portion and two valley portions. The valley portions are located on opposing sides of the central ridge portion. The resilient material biases the generally W-shaped cross-section laterally outwardly to an uncompressed width.

According to another aspect, there is provided a device for preventing debris from falling through a gap. The device includes an elongated body configured for insertion into an elongated gap between two objects and for extending across the elongated gap. The elongated body is made from a resilient material and has a generally W-shaped cross-section that is resiliently compressible along a lateral direction. The generally W-shaped cross-section includes a central ridge portion and two valley portions. The valley portions are located on opposing sides of the central ridge portion. The resilient material biases the generally W-shaped cross-section laterally outwardly to an uncompressed width.

The central ridge portion may have an inverted rounded U-shape, and each valley portion may have a rounded U-shape.

The two valley portions may include a first valley portion having a first outer sidewall portion configured to engage one of the two objects, and a second valley portion having a second outer sidewall portion configured to engage the other of the two objects.

The elongated body may include a lip protruding laterally outwardly from the first outer sidewall portion. The lip may be configured to rest on top of one of the two objects.

The elongated body may be made of a sheet of aluminum.

The two objects may include at least one appliance. The two objects may include a kitchen counter and a kitchen appliance.

The generally W-shaped cross-section may be resiliently compressible by at least 75%. Furthermore, the uncompressed width may be at least 2 centimeters.

The inverted rounded U-shaped central ridge portion and the rounded U-shaped valley portions may each have a compressed width of less than 2 centimeters. Furthermore, the compressed width may be between 0.1 centimeters and 1 centimeter.

The elongated body may have an adjustable length. The adjustable length may be adjustable from 0.5 meters to 1 meter.

The elongated body may include a first telescopic portion having a first generally W-shaped cross-section, and a second telescopic portion having a second generally W-shaped cross-section. The second telescopic portion may be slidably engaged with the first telescopic portion.

The elongated body may have a length of at least 0.5 meters.

According to another aspect, there is provided a method of filling a gap. The method includes the steps of: (a) laterally compressing an elongated body made from a resilient material, the elongated body having a generally W-shaped cross-section that includes a central ridge portion and two valley portions, the valley portions being located on opposing sides of the central ridge portion; (b) placing the compressed elongated body within an elongated gap between two objects; and (c) releasing the compressed elongated body so that the resilient material expands the generally W-shaped cross-section laterally outwardly to engage each of the two objects.

Step (a) may include compressing the elongated body by at least 50%.

The elongated body may include a lip protruding laterally outwardly from one of the valley portions, and step (b) may include placing the lip on top of one of the two objects.

The method may further include adjusting length of the elongated body.

The two objects may include at least one appliance. The two objects may include a kitchen counter and a kitchen appliance.

Other aspects and features will become apparent, to those ordinarily skilled in the art, upon review of the following description of some exemplary embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the present specification will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a device made in accordance with one embodiment, shown deployed within a gap between a kitchen counter and a kitchen appliance;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 1 along the line 2-2;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 1 in an uncompressed state;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 1 in a fully compressed state;

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of a device having an adjustable length in accordance with another embodiment;

FIG. 5B is a cross-section of the device of FIG. 5A along the line 5B-5B;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a device that does not include a laterally extending lip in accordance with another embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a device having an upper U-shaped portion with a reduced height in accordance with another embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a device having a first lower U-shaped valley portion with a reduced height in accordance with another embodiment; and

FIG. 9 is a flow chart depicting a method of filling a gap between a kitchen counter and a kitchen appliance in accordance with another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, illustrated therein is a device 10 for filing a gap 12 between two objects such as a kitchen counter 14 and a kitchen appliance 16 (e.g. a kitchen stove). The device 10 can help prevent solid or liquid food, or other debris, from falling into the gap 12 and onto the floor.

The device 10 includes an elongated body 20 made from a resilient material. For example, the elongated body 20 may be made from a sheet of aluminum or another type of metal. The elongated body 20 could also be made from other materials such as food-grade silicone rubber or other plastics.

With reference to FIG. 2, the elongated body 20 generally has an accordion or sinusoidal shaped cross-section. For example, as shown, the elongated body 20 has a generally W-shaped cross-section. This cross-section shape may be achieved by bending, folding, stamping, or otherwise forming the sheet of aluminum.

As shown, the generally W-shaped cross-section includes a central ridge portion 22, and two valley portions 24, 26. The valley portions 24, 26 are located on opposing sides of the central ridge portion 22. In the illustrated embodiment, the central ridge portion 22 has an inverted rounded U-shape, and each valley portion 24, 26 has a rounded U-shape. In other embodiments, the central ridge portion 22 and the valley portions 24, 26 could have other shapes and configurations such as being generally V-shaped.

The elongated body 20 is generally configured to engage the sides of the kitchen counter 14 and the kitchen appliance 16. Accordingly, the first valley portion 24 has a first outer sidewall portion 30 configured to engage the kitchen counter 14, and the second valley portion 26 has a second outer sidewall portion 32 configured to engage the kitchen appliance 16. More particularly, the elongated body 20 is configured so that the outer sidewall portions 30, 32 are pressed outwardly against the kitchen counter 14 and the kitchen appliance 16. As will be discussed further below, this may be achieved by selecting the resilient material and the cross-sectional shape of the elongated body 20 to be resiliently compressible along a lateral direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the W-shaped cross-section of the elongated body 20 has an uncompressed width 40 defined between the first outer sidewall portion 30 and the second outer sidewall portion 32. Furthermore, the W-shaped cross-section is resiliently compressible to a compressed width that is less than the uncompressed width 40. For example, the W-shaped cross-section can be compressed to a fully compressed width 42 (e.g. as shown in FIG. 4), or partially compressed (e.g. as shown in FIG. 2). In use, the W-shaped cross-section may be fully compressed when inserting the elongated body 20 into the gap 12, and then the W-shaped cross-section may expand to the partially compressed width.

As indicated above, the resilient material and the W-shaped cross-section are selected to bias the elongated body 20 laterally outwardly towards the uncompressed width 40. This helps urge the first and second outer sidewall portions 30, 32 laterally outwardly to press against the sides of the kitchen counter 14 and the kitchen appliance 16.

In some embodiments, the elongated body 20 may be configured to fit within gaps of particular sizes. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the gap 12 may have a gap width 44. Furthermore, the elongated body 20 may be configured so that the uncompressed width 40 is larger than the gap width 44, and the compressed width 42 is smaller than the gap width 44. In some embodiments, the uncompressed width 40 may be at least 2 centimeters, and the compressed width 42 may be less than at least 1.5 centimeters. More particularly, in the illustrated embodiment, the uncompressed width 40 is about 2.5 centimeters, and the fully compressed width is about 1 centimeter (or slightly less). This configuration may allow the elongated body 20 to fill gap widths ranging from 1 centimeter up to about 2.5 centimeters.

In some embodiments, the elongated body 20 may have a particular compressibility. For example, the W-shaped cross-section of the elongated body 20 may be resiliently compressible by at least 75%, or more particularly, by at least 50%. Compressibility of the elongated body 20 may allow use within a range of different gap widths.

While a few exemplary dimensions have been described above, it will be understood that the elongated body 20 may be configured to fill larger or smaller gap widths. Furthermore, the elongated body 20 may be configured to fill a gap that has a varying gap width along its length. For example, the elongated body 20 may be configured to fill narrowing or widening gaps. The elongated body 20 could also be configured to fill a gap that has a varying height between the kitchen counter 14 and the kitchen appliance 16 along the gap length.

Compressibility of the W-shaped cross-section may be selected based upon the particular cross-sectional shape of the elongated body 20. For example, the rounded U-shaped portions 22, 24, 26 may be selected to have particular compressed widths 22A, 24A, 26A that limit the compressibility. For example, the compressed widths 22A, 24A, 26A may be less than 2 centimeters, or more particularly, between about 0.1 centimeters and about 1 centimeter. In the illustrated embodiment, the compressed widths 22A, 24A, 26A are about 0.5 centimeters. In other embodiments, the compressed widths 22A, 24A, 26A could be larger or smaller, and furthermore, some of the compressed widths could be different from the others.

Compressibility may also be selected based upon the particular resilient material used to make the elongated body 20. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the elongated body 20 is made from 16-gauge aluminum. In other embodiments, the elongated body 20 may be made from other materials or aluminum having a different thickness. In such cases, the elongated body 20 could have other cross-sectional dimensions to provide a particular degree of compressibility.

Referring still to FIG. 4, the elongated body 20 has a total height 50. As shown, the total height 50 may extend from a crest of the central ridge portion 22 to the valley of the first or second rounded U-shaped valley portions 24, 26. In some embodiments, the total height 50 may be at least 1 centimeter. In the illustrated embodiment, the height 50 is about 2 centimeters.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the elongated body 20 may include a laterally extending lip 60. The lip 60 may be shaped to rest on top of the kitchen counter 14. The lip 60 may protrude laterally outwardly from the first outer sidewall portion 30 of the first valley portion 24, for example, at about 90-degrees thereto. In some embodiments, the elongated body 20 could include a lip shaped to rest on the kitchen appliance 16.

In the example of FIG. 1, the elongated body 20 has a fixed length. In some embodiments, the elongated body 20 may have a length configured to fit a particular gap length 72 extending along the kitchen counter 14 and the kitchen appliance 16. For example, the elongated body 20 may be available in standard lengths sized to fit typical counter depths or typical appliance depths (e.g. about 0.64 meters). In some cases, the elongated body 20 may have a larger length that can be trimmed to fit a particular gap length 72. For example, the elongated body 20 may have a length that is about 0.8 meters.

In other embodiments, the elongated body 20 could have an adjustable length. This may be achieved by providing the elongated body 20 in two or more partially overlapping portions, or as two or more longitudinal telescopic portions. For example, with reference now to FIGS. 5A and 5B, there is a device 110 that is similar in some respects to the device 10 and similar elements are given similar reference numerals incremented by one hundred. As shown, the device 110 includes an elongated body 120 that includes a first telescopic portion 120A having a first generally W-shaped cross-section, and a second telescopic portion 120B having a second generally W-shaped cross-section. The telescopic portions 120A, 120B are slidably engaged with each other (e.g. in an intermeshed arrangement). This allows lengthwise adjustment of elongated body 120. In some embodiments, the elongated body 120 may have a telescopic length 172 that can be adjusted from about 0.5 meters up to about 1 meter. In this case, each telescopic portion 120A, 120B may have a length that is about 0.5 meters long.

Referring now to FIGS. 6-8, illustrated therein are alternative embodiments of the device having elongated bodies with other cross-sectional shapes. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, illustrated therein is a device 210 that includes an elongated body 220 having a first outer sidewall portion 230 without a lip (in contrast to the lip 60 shown in FIG. 2).

Referring to FIG. 7, illustrated therein is a device 310 that includes an elongated body 320 having a central ridge portion 322 with a reduced height 352 compared to the total height 350 of the elongated body 320.

Referring to FIG. 8, illustrated therein is a device 410 that includes an elongated body 420 having a first valley portion 424 with a reduced height 454 compared to the total height 450 of the elongated body 320.

While a few exemplary cross-sectional shapes have been described, the device could also have other cross-sectional shapes, sizes, or configurations.

Referring now to FIG. 9, illustrated therein is a method 500 of filling a gap between a kitchen counter and a kitchen appliance. The method 500 generally includes steps 510-530.

Step 510 includes laterally compressing an elongated body made from a resilient material. For example, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, step 510 may include compressing the elongated body 20 from the uncompressed width 40 to the fully compressed width 42. Alternatively, the elongated body 20 may be partially compressed in step 510. In some examples, step 510 may include compressing the elongated body by at least 50%, or more particularly, by at least 75%.

As shown in FIG. 2, the elongated body 20 may have a generally W-shaped cross-section that includes a central ridge portion 22 and two valley portions 24, 26.

Step 520 includes placing the compressed elongated body from step 510 between a kitchen counter and a kitchen appliance. For example, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, step 520 may include placing the compressed elongated body 20 (shown in FIG. 4) between the kitchen counter 14 and the kitchen appliance 16.

In some embodiments, the elongated body may include a laterally extending lip (e.g. similar to the lip 60 shown in FIG. 2). In such embodiments, step 520 may include placing the lip 60 on top of the kitchen counter 14.

Step 530 includes releasing the compressed elongated body so that the resilient material expands the generally W-shaped cross-section laterally outwardly to engage the kitchen counter and the kitchen appliance. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, step 530 may result in having the first outer sidewall portion 30 engage the kitchen counter 14, and the second outer sidewall portion 32 engage the kitchen appliance 16.

In some embodiments, step 530 may include pressing the first outer sidewall portion against the kitchen counter and pressing the second outer sidewall portion against the kitchen appliance so as to frictionally hold the elongated body in place. This may be achieved by making the elongated body from a material having a suitable coefficient of friction to statically engage the kitchen counter and kitchen appliance with the normal force applied by decompression of the elongated body. As an example, aluminum may provide a sufficient coefficient of friction. The frictional force may also be sufficient to support potential debris (e.g. within the two valley portions 24).

While steps 520 and 530 are shown in a particular order, it will be understood that these steps could be carried out sequentially or contemporaneously with each other.

Referring still to FIG. 9, the method 500 may include step 540 of adjusting length of the elongated body. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the elongated body 120 may be adjusted by sliding the two telescopic portions 120A, 120B relative to each other. Step 540 may occur before step 510.

In some embodiments, the method 500 may include step 550 of removing the elongated body from the gap and cleaning debris from the first and second lower U-shaped valley portions. The elongated body could then be replaced within the gap after being cleaned, for example, by repeating steps 510-530.

While the above description provides examples of one or more apparatus, methods, or systems, it will be appreciated that other apparatus, methods, or systems may be within the scope of the claims as interpreted by one of skill in the art. 

1. A device for preventing food debris from falling onto a floor through a gap between a kitchen counter and a kitchen appliance, the device comprising: an elongated body configured for insertion into the gap and for extending across the gap, the elongated body being made from a single piece of a resilient material and having a W-shaped cross-section that is resiliently compressible along a lateral direction, wherein the W-shaped cross-section includes a central ridge portion and two valley portions, the valley portions being located on opposing sides of the central ridge portion, and wherein the W-shaped cross-section is biased laterally outwardly such that outer sidewalls of the valley portions are pressed outwardly against the kitchen counter and the kitchen appliance, so as to maintain the elongated body within the gap.
 2. A device for preventing debris from falling through a gap, the device comprising: an elongated body configured for insertion into an elongated gap between two objects and for extending across the elongated gap, the elongated body being made from a single piece of a resilient material and having a W-shaped cross-section that is resiliently compressible along a lateral direction, wherein the W-shaped cross-section includes a central ridge portion and two valley portions, the valley portions being located on opposing sides of the central ridge portion, and wherein the W-shaped cross-section is biased laterally outwardly such that outer sidewalls of the valley portions are pressed outwardly against the two objects, so as to maintain the elongated body within the gap.
 3. The device of claim 2, wherein the central ridge portion has an inverted rounded U-shape, and wherein each valley portion of the two valley portions has a rounded U-shape.
 4. The device of claim 2, wherein the two valley portions include: (a) a first valley portion having a first outer sidewall portion configured to engage one of the two objects; and (b) a second valley portion having a second outer sidewall portion configured to engage the other of the two objects.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein the elongated body includes a lip protruding laterally outwardly from the first outer sidewall portion, the lip being configured to rest on top of one of the two objects.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the elongated body is made of a sheet of aluminum.
 7. The device of claim 2, wherein the two objects include at least one appliance
 8. The device of claim 2, wherein the two objects include a kitchen counter and a kitchen appliance
 9. The device of claim 2, wherein the W-shaped cross-section has a width that is resiliently compressible by at least 75%.
 10. The device of claim 8, wherein the uncompressed width is at least 2 centimeters.
 11. The device of claim 3, wherein the inverted rounded U-shaped central ridge portion and the rounded U-shaped valley portions each have a compressed width of less than 2 centimeters.
 12. The device of claim 11, wherein the compressed width is between 0.1 centimeters and 1 centimeter.
 13. The device of claim 2, wherein the elongated body has an adjustable length.
 14. (canceled)
 15. The device of claim 23, wherein the adjustable length is adjustable from 0.5 meters to 1 meter.
 16. The device of claim 2, wherein the elongated body has a length of at least 0.5 meters.
 17. A method of filling a gap, the method comprising: (a) laterally compressing an elongated body made from a resilient material, the elongated body having a generally W-shaped cross-section that includes a central ridge portion and two valley portions, the valley portions being located on opposing sides of the central ridge portion; (b) placing the compressed elongated body within an elongated gap between two objects; and (c) releasing the compressed elongated body so that the resilient material expands the generally W-shaped cross-section laterally outwardly to engage each of the two objects.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein step (a) includes compressing the elongated body by at least 50%.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the elongated body includes a lip protruding laterally outwardly from one of the valley portions, and wherein step (b) includes placing the lip on top of one of the two objects.
 20. The method of claim 17, further comprising adjusting length of the elongated body.
 21. The method of claim 17, wherein the two objects include at least one appliance.
 22. The method of claim 17, wherein the two objects include a kitchen counter and a kitchen appliance.
 23. A device for preventing debris from falling through a gap, the device comprising: a first elongated body and at least one second elongated body, wherein each of the elongated bodies is slidably engaged with at least one other elongated body such that the device has an adjustable length, each of the elongated bodies being configured for insertion into an elongated gap between two objects and for extending across the elongated gap, each of the elongated bodies being made from a single piece of a resilient material and having a W-shaped cross-section that is resiliently compressible along a lateral direction, wherein the W-shaped cross-section includes a central ridge portion and two valley portions, the valley portions being located on opposing sides of the central ridge portion, and wherein the W-shaped cross-section is biased laterally outwardly such that outer sidewalls of the valley portions are pressed outwardly against the two objects so as to maintain the elongated bodies within the gap. 